“Ah world, my square was very pretty”was the common expression heard among some inhabitants of Santa Rosa, located in the Iribarren Municipality of Barquisimeto, when inquiring about its state.
For its inhabitants, Plaza Bolívar represents an important and meeting place, not only because of its proximity to the city of Barquisimeto, but also because of the constant visits that are received during the year to advocate the sacred image of the Divine Shepherdess.
The narrow streets of the place lead to the cool square, which over the years and the municipal governments have carried out different rehabilitations until reaching the simple public space, in which you can only see a few benches, a fountain, the statue of Libertador, trees and three dovecotes.
“The square was very beautiful, very green, large trees were responsible for shading the place, for visitors and neighbors it was very pleasant to sit from 4 in the afternoon to perceive the soft breeze, wait for mass and talk about day to day , this has been lost due to the different changes in it, every year you paint the benches and they make it beautiful for January 14, but the original project of it, which was similar to the Bolívar de Palavecino square, was lost and no ruler rescued him.” Robert Vásquez recounted.
Vásquez confirmed that, given the differences in deficiencies that have arisen in the population, the plaza is used for different activities, the church holds religious events and the children of the Santa Rosa orchestra system receive their classes there in the afternoon. “More than 15 years ago, it had three student areas in front of the amphitheater with their blackboards that were used by students to clear up their doubts in mathematics, physics and chemistry, these were eliminated, as were many trees.”
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For her part, Mrs. Carmen Rodríguez, told the Barquisimeto news team that the square, despite the fact that it has changed a lot, is the most sought after place by all, people sit every afternoon to watch the sunset. “I have been selling tostones for many years, I see how different cars arrive every day, visitors get off, take photos and start to talk even with the typical characters of the area, enjoy a good coffee or ice cream and visit the church.”
Currently, in the population of Santa Rosa, the rehabilitation of the emblematic spaces is being carried out by the Iribarren Mayor’s Office, the square is painting its benches, pruning trees, changing artificial grass, cleaning of dovecotes and lighting with an amount that exceeds 500 million strong bolivars.
Zuleydy Márquez News Barquisimeto